Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford announce pregnancy to nation as well wishes flood in

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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she is pregnant today, re-live the news as it happened during 1 NEWS' live coverage of the announcement.

Ms Ardern says the baby is due in June of this year and her and partner Clarke Gayford found out she was pregnant just six days before Winston Peters made his choice to form a government with Labour.

The Prime Minister said today her and partner Clarke Gayford are excited "to do this".
Source: 1 NEWS

LIVE UPDATES:

2:35pm: The Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff has congratulated the PM on her pregnancy.

"On behalf of Kiwis juggling paid work and parenthood, I’d just like to say 'welcome to the club' to Jacinda and Clarke. It's not always easy, but the union movement supports them and all parents on this journey to make paid work fit better around family life."

2:15pm: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looks likely to miss out on the extended paid parental leave period her government introduced.

The policy extending paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 22 weeks passed by the Labour-led government in November only kicks in on July 1.

12:51pm: The delivery is likely to take place in Auckland "but we will prepare for scenarios" Ms Ardern said, adding that she intended to work at Parliament "right up until we've ready to go".

12:50pm: When asked why the pair chose to announce the pregnancy today, Ms Ardern said "I had to announce eventually - there's only so long you can pretend you've just been eating too many Christmas pies".

12:48pm: Mr Gayford was coy on the prospect of marriage, raising laughs and smiles from press and Ms Ardern when asked whether a wedding could be on the horizon. "We'll see".

12:47pm: Mr Gayford said, in a wry pun referencing his love for fishing, that he is looking forward to "diving into all aspects" of fatherhood. He said he will need to be as flexible as possible to fit in around Ms Ardern.

12:46pm: Only "a handful" of family and friends knew about the pregnancy before today, as well as the Governor General, Winston Peters and James Shaw Ms Ardern said.

12:45pm: Ms Ardern thanked all of those who have sent best wishes to her, who have included Malcolm Turnbull and Helen Clark.

12:43pm: "I don't underestimate, of course, that it will take work ... but I have a lot of help around me," Ms Ardern said.

12:41pm: Ms Ardern paid tribute to former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, who also had children while Prime Minister. "This will just be another addition to the history of this government".

12:40pm: Ms Ardern said the pair had sought advice over their ability to conceive, and were pleasantly surprised to find she was pregnant. She said the consultations on fertility were put aside once she became leader of the Labour Party.

12:38pm: Ms Ardern paid tribute to Mr Gayford, saying they were lucky to be in the position where he could care for the baby, along with family. They are weighing up options in terms of where they want to live, with options available in Wellington, but "at the moment we're staying" at the pair's home in Auckland's Point Chevalier.

12:37pm: Ms Ardern says she struggling with morning sickness during the coalition negotiations, which made things difficult. Mr Gayford said the pair had to be careful about who they told "as it was just such a big secret".

12:36pm: Ms Ardern said the pregnancy had weighed upon her mind during the coalition talks, saying "I'm a human being - whose mind wouldn't it play on?"

12:34pm: The pair said they know the gender of the baby but declined to reveal it, saying they preferred to keep it a secret.

12:33pm: Ms Ardern is spoking to media outside her home in Auckland, getting a laugh from those gathered by referring to Mr Gayford as "Dad". She also paid tribute to other working mothers , saying she is "not the first woman to multi-task".

ANNOUNCEMENT MADE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Ms Ardern said today across her social media channels that the baby is due in June this year.

"And we thought 2017 was a big year! Clarke and I are really excited that in June our team will expand from two to three, and that we’ll be joining the many parents out there who wear two hats," she wrote.

"I'll be Prime Minister AND a mum, and Clarke will be 'first man of fishing' and stay at home dad.

"I think it's fair to say that this will be a wee one that a village will raise, but we couldn’t be more excited.

"I know there will be lots of questions, and we’ll answer all of them (I can assure you we have a plan all ready to go!) But for now, bring on 2018."

Although she felt unwell, the PM battled on while setting up her new government.
Source: 1 NEWS